What will you find on this page? |
Resources for specific allied health professions working within an Indigenous contextExercise PhysiologyOccupational TherapyPhysiotherapySpeech Pathology |
Exercise Physiology
Deadly Choices: aims to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to make healthy choices for themselves and their families – to stop smoking, to eat good food and exercise daily
Indigenous physical activity web resource: This resource aims to provide quality information and resources about physical activity among Indigenous peoples.
Work it Out is an education and exercise program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are at risk of having, or have been diagnosed with a chronic disease
Tuguy Esgin: In this short video, exercise physiologist, Tuguy Esgin, explains how exercise can be used as medicine to close the gap in Indigenous health.
Be Strong With Your Health Team: The role of an exercise physiologist within the team of healthcare professionals at Wuchopperen Health Services in Cairns is explained at about the 20-minute mark in this video.
References:
J. Hu, T. Basit, A. Nelson, A. Bartlett (2019) Changes in exercise capacity and anthropometric measures after Work It Out—a holistic chronic disease self-management program for urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,
Public Health: Volume 174: 49-55
Occupational Therapy
Position Statement - Diversity and Culture - developed by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.
Deadly Ears Program: Queensland Health's Statewide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ear Health Program for children raises awareness and provides information about the impact of ear disease in children. The multidisciplinary team also provides intervention and works with communities to help children hear, talk and learn. The website includes a lot of resources and information about Indigenous hearing and examples of the programs they provide.
Useful journal articles for occupational therapy students on clinical education placement
Hooper, K., Thomas, Y., and Clarke, M. (2007) Health professional partnerships and their impact on Aboriginal health: An occupational therapist's and Aboriginal health worker's perspective. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 15(1), 46-51.
Nelson, A. (2009) Learning from the past, looking to the future: Exploring our place with Indigenous Australians. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 56, 97-102.
Nelson, A. and Allison, H. (2007) Relationships: The key to effective occupational therapy practice with urban Australian Indigenous children. Occupational Therapy International, 14, 57-70.
Nelson, A., Allison, H. and Copley, J. (2007) Understanding where we come from: Occupational therapy with urban indigenous Australians. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 54(3), 203-214.
Nelson, A., Gray, M., Jensen, H., Thomas, Y., McIntosh, K., Oke, L. and Paluch, T. (2011) Closing the gap: Supporting occupational therapists to partner effectively with First Australians. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 58, 17-24.
Stedman, A and Thomas, Y. (2011) Reflecting on our effectiveness: Occupational therapy interventions with Indigenous clients. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 58, 43–49.
Watts, E. and Carlson, G. (2002) Practical strategies for working with indigenous people living in Queensland, Australia. Occupational Therapy International, 9, 277–293.
Physiotherapy
Reconciliation Action Plan Innovate 2017-2019: The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) has developed a second iteration of the Reconciliation Action Plan which focuses on the development of a culturally safe and sensitive profession. Information relating to cultural safety, education programs, and the APA membership of the 'Close the Gap (CTG) Campaign Steering Committe can be found here.
Physiotherapy Practice Issues in Indigenous Contexts: Clinical case studies developed by the Australian Physiotherapy Association Indigenous Health Sub-Committee to assist physiotherapy students or new physiotherapy recruits to consider issues of practice when treating Indigenous clients.
Physiotherapy for Indigenous Australians in Rural and Remote Areas: A Survey Report: In 2005, the Australian Physiotherapy Association Indigenous Health Sub-Committee presented a report examining the limited use of physiotherapy services by Indigenous people and identified factors that affect Indigenous people accessing physiotherapy services and perceptions of the influences affecting compliance.
Useful journal articles for physiotherapy students on clinical education placement
Cotter, P., and Maher, P. (2005) Why the silence on Indigenous health? Australian Journal of Physiotherapy, 51, 211–212.
Gates, R. (2009) Physiotherapy: Keeping Your Mob 'Moving Well, Staying Well'. Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, 33(1), 7.
Jamieson, R. and Tilley, L. (2008) Physiotherapists Give Up Their City Life for Arnhem Land. Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, 32(2), 14.
Speech Pathology
Speech Pathology Paediatric Indigenous Network (SPPIN): This national forum shares information, resources and professional support. SPPIN is a closed Facebook group that people can request to join. The forum welcomes student members.
Working in a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Society: This link directs you to the Clinical Guidelines page of Speech Pathology Australia. Here you will see that Speech Pathology Australia has developed a clinical guideline to assist Speech Pathologists work with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse populations.
Speech Pathology and Indigenous Children: This link to the Speech Pathology Australia website's page on 'Fact Sheets' allows the user to access a succinct Fact Sheet "Speech Pathology and Indigenous Children".
Deadly Ears Program: Queensland Health's Statewide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ear Health Program for children raises awareness and provides information about the impact of ear disease in children. The multidisciplinary team also provides intervention and works with communities to help children hear, talk and learn. The website includes a lot of resources and information about Indigenous hearing and examples of the programs they provide.
Indigenous EarInfoNet: This site provides very comprehensive information and resources about Indigenous ear disease and hearing.
Speech Pathology Australia are also working towards the development of a 'Reconciliation Action Plan' as they have recognised the need to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their organisations. More can be found here
Useful journal articles for speech pathology students on clinical education placement
Cultural Diversity: A special issue of ACQuiring Knowledge in Speech, Language and Hearing, Vol 13(3), 2011 has some very relevant and interesting articles about speech pathology issues associated with working with Indigenous children:
- Working with children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds: Implications for assessment and intervention – Cori Williams
- Examining culturally valid language assessments for Indigenous children – Petrea Cahir
- Partnerships: A service delivery option for speech pathology in Indigenous communities - Andrea Coleman, Tania Porter, Ursula Barber, Jillian Scholes and Helen Sargison
Gould, J. (2008) The Affects of Language Assessment Policies in Speech-Language Pathology on the Educational Experiences of Indigenous Students. Current Issues in Language Planning, 9, 299-316.
Gould, J. (2008). Non-standard assessment practices in the evaluation of communication in Australian Aboriginal children. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 22, 643–657.
Pearce, W. and Williams, C. (2013) The cultural appropriateness and diagnostic usefulness of standardized language assessments for Indigenous Australian children. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 15(4), 429-440.
Simpson, J. and Wigglesworth, G. (eds.), (2008) Children's Language and Multilingualism: Indigenous Language Use at Home and School. Continuum Publishing Company, London.
